Remaking of a Heroine: In the First Age.
Sky of Jade Designs awoke from a very strange dream. She was a young girl -- Exalted only weeks ago -- in some dystopic future where Solars were hunted and mortals lived in squalor and fear. And her father was there, as some kind of demented megalomaniac in a ridiculous looking hat and robes, sending her into some death contraption right out of his stories about the Primordial War, helped by a faerie. The dream stuck in her head -- as crystal clear as if she had lived it. For a moment, in that awkward state between dreaming and wakefulness, she wasn't sure what was real and what was the dream, the life she knew seeming so insubstantial in comparison to the Age of Sorrows. She tensed a little before she opened her eyes, ready for anything -- but relaxed once again when she saw the familiar wood of her bedrooms ceiling. Familiar red covers lay over her, the sound of the sea floated in from the rooms great window, the smell of sandalwood coming from the little snuffed candle by her bed, given to her by a mortal friend. She took her time in rising, enjoying the feeling of getting to sleep in, but eventually sat up, kicking the covers away as she turned to get out of bed. She had only just started to stand when a sharp pain in her knee forced her to sit again. She looked down -- rueful -- the bandage around her left knee stained red from aggravating it trying to walk the past night. As someone who'd never been sick or hurt more than a day in her life, Sky was having a fair degree of trouble adjusting to the persistent injury. The faerie shot that had taken her from the fight against the wyld back to her parents prefecture was a powerful one -- powerful enough to foil the medical skills of all the dragon blooded in her unit. The Lawgiver leading her company had been able to save her life, but had ordered her evacuated to proper medical treatment in Creation. She'd objected -- many dragonbloods in her unit were injured, and none of them were getting evacuated -- but the Zenith had bluntly overridden her, stating that none of them had a father capable of killing him if their child died under his command. That still didn't sit well with her for some reason, the dragonblood frowning as she sat on the side of her bed. She should have been used to it by now, she'd be hearing that sort of thing her whole life, but it stung like she was hearing it for the first time now. She reached under the bed -- picking up the crutch there -- tucking her wounded leg under her as she made her way. Unpleasant as the wound was, it at least explained the dream she had. Given that she was hit by a faerie weapon, she was lucky not to have two heads and arms made of daffodils. Strange, persistent dreams were getting off easy, even if they did have an unsettling quality. The unease stuck with her as she went through her morning routine -- washing, dressing, pulling her armor on over her bandage, sheath over her back -- a tension building inside her. Finally, she reached a breaking point -- dropping her crutch and pulling her sword of moonsilver and glass from it's sheath, a shout of "Chaos Warding Prana!" exiting her lips, a rush of sea water and essence around her dispelling all faerie shaping and enchantment. A pause followed, her blade held high, ready to guards against whatever unnatural creatures might appear. Her "Ow, ow, ow." And the sound of her anima banner scratching the glass in front of her joined forces to break the silence as she grabbed her knee at sat down quickly, her sword clattering to the floor as she winced and muttered: "Okay Sky, that was very stupid." Embarrassed -- but more relieved then she'd admit that the space around her was real and the dream just a dream -- she picked her sword back up and returned the glass artifact to it's sheath, her crutch next. As she headed out of the bathroom, one of the Jadeborn servants poked his head downstairs, the diminutive mountainfolk looking to her with a "Lady Sky? Is everything alright?" "Yes, fine, thank you." She answered, careful to add the courtesy at the end, conscious in her desire not to become one of the Exalted who considered other creatures beneath them. "My anima flux scratched up the bathroom mirror, fix it please. And where is my family?" "Your father is away at the moment I believe" At the Deliberative -- Sky chided herself mentally, she shouldn't have had to ask that. "-but your mother is just outside the south entrance." The Jadeborn finished, Sky thanking him before heading that way, navigating the stairs with remarkable grace for one on a crutch. Sky took her time in navigating the house. She still felt a bit off from the dream, to say nothing of a distinct lack of breakfast, and didn't want to face her mother just yet. The family home -- family palace really, much to Sky's embarrassment -- was an old structure, dating back to the founding of the Deliberative. It was a manse, but it rested atop no demesne, the geomantic power that ran it's comforts and security all supplied from distant manse's in it's network. Apparently her father had decided he really liked the view, and so was going to build his capital city there, whether Gaia was considerate enough to put a demense on the spot or not. Just a bit decadent -- Sky thought -- but she had to admit it was a beautiful space, the house of wood and jade built in the center of a vast lake she had often swam in as a child. Making her way up to the small third floor, she signaled another one of the servants for breakfast and settled down on the deck outside, the suns warm rays falling about her. While she still didn't like the idea of a faerie bolt messing with her head, her odd dreams of the night past did make all of this seem so much grander. A house with subtle lightning instead of dangerous, smokey candles, and warmth even in the coldest winter months. Proper Jadeborn servants -- tireless and capable -- instead of a life eeked out in the forests and the swamps. The false memory of a life built on butchering highwaymen mader her shiver just a little -- the idea having to hunt if wanted to eat unpleasant, to say the least. She'd weathered far worse with dignity in her time fighting the wyld, but always with the knowledge that there was a civilization to return too at the end. This was just barbarism piled on top of more barbarism, a world of nasty, brutish, and short people, shaped by an environment just the same. Enough, if nothing else, to make her take it slow and really appreciate her breakfast. She couldn't help but crack a smile at the unenlightened Jadeborns confusion -- wondering if he had done anything differently this time to provoke such a reaction. She was just poking at her last waffle, staring off into the scenery, when a knock on the doorframe snapped her out of it -- a voice gentler and wiser prying her from her reverie with a: "You're up early. Your knee isn't bothering you, is it?" Sky's "No, it's fine," automatic as she turned in her chair. Standing in the doorway was her mother, the woman in blue gently gliding out to sit across from her daughter. To the world, she was Tahi Yar -- the Prefect of The Black Juniper Principality and the first dragonblood to rush back to the warped lands. The warrior and sorcerer, who beat a Chosen of Luna to a pulp on the deliberative floor when the wolf dared to object to her marriage. Whispers and rumor traveled through the halls of power where'er she walked, celestials and spirits of all types wondering if she knew the secret of Operation Wyldhand. To her fellow dragonbloods, she was an inspiration, to her people, she was a goddess. To Sky, she was something more personal and dear -- and frankly, all that other stuff was embarrassing to the young exalt anyway. She got enough of that rot about her father without the rest of her family chipping in too -- joining forces in a collective attempt to overshadow all of her accomplishments. Some days, she felt that if she defeated and Unshaped and all it's war-behemoths in single combat, all she'd get would be a hug and a fond story about all the behemoth-slaying they did when they were her age. Realizing that she'd gotten lost in her thoughts and allowed the conversation to lag, Sky cut in quickly, trying to pick up where she left off. "This is sleeping in for me -- force of habit from training." She began, scooting around in her chair to face the woman across from her."Is that a new hearthstone?" She asked, her mother nodding and looking up at the rather ornate headband over her hair -- a glowing crystal set within. "It looks terrible, doesn't it?" Her mother replied, taking it off and tossing it to the table. "Like my hair is a bowl helmet. But it was a gift, so I figured, I should at least give it a shot." She continued, a shake of her head making her blue-tinted strands fall free. "A gift? From who?" Sky asked, to her mothers amused reply: "Some nice fire-aspect boy who wanted to marry you." The expression of surprise on Sky's face was enough to get a good laugh out of her mother, the young dragonblood blushing indignant as she let out a: "Mother!", the outburst only making the older air aspect laugh harder. "That is not funny!" Sky insisted, Tahi managing to calm herself between giggles long enough to reply: "Well I didn't say yes Sky! I'm not going to force you into an arranged marriage -- what kind of a mother do you think I am? But you had to know people would be asking." When that produced nothing but an unhappy look, Tahi went on, taking her daughters hand across the table. "Sky, I'm not going to marry you off, relax." She soothed, her presence comforting. "But your the heir to a Prefecture. It'll have to come up eventually." The reassuring hand and calming tone brought a reluctant nod to Sky's face, the younger dragonblood sitting up a tad straighter with a: "Doesn't mean I have to like it." "Oh, of course it doesn't." Tahi spoke, with another smile. "I hated it at your age too. But don't worry -- I'm not letting anyone marry you who I don't think is good enough for you. And that's a short list." The reassuring tone elected only a sarcastic air in response, Sky responding with a: "And the idea that I could choose who I want to marry and when?" Tahi grinning in return, clearly enjoying every moment of the exchange. "Hippie nonsense!" She said, reaching across to steal the last of her daughters waffles before a silent servant bore the dishes away. "What do marriage and love have to do with eachother?" "Says the woman who married for love?" Sky retorted, to Tahi's insistent, if somewhat wry: "You're father was also rich and powerful! It was a win-win situation." Sky answered only with silence and her best half-lidded stare, cutting off her mothers: "Look-," "But-," and "Sky-," without a word, her mother finally giving in with an: "Okay, okay! Fine. I'll make you a deal. I'll get off your case about it, but you have to start at least looking at some potential suitors who are actually nobility. Most of them are charming, you'll like them." She insisted, a long, indecisive silence coming from Sky after. Finally, she relented with a sigh: "And you'll stop bugging me about this?" She asks, electing her mothers: "I swear." "Good." Sky answered, her smile relieved and her tone amused, reaching for her crutch with a: "And before you can make any suggestions -- I am going to head into the city. Spend some time with real people. And, I want to see how it's changed." Her mother nodded, but seemed reluctant to let her go, glancing at her injury with a: "Are you sure you don't want to stay and talk?" "Relax." She answered as she rose, smiling down at her mother. "I'll be fine and we'll have plenty of time together this evening. I just want a change of scenery for awhile -- see how the place has changed. It'll be fun." ---- Heading into the city was Sky's idea of a fun day, in much the same sense that having a limb amputated might be. It was entirely hypocritical of her, she would freely admit. She loved the luxury, the wealth and the artifacts that flowed from the solars great cities, and she fought the fae so that more could be built. But she couldn't stand actually going anywhere near them. The press of people, the gaudiness of the golden architecture, the constant humm of essence and artifacts -- all of it drove her mad. The part of the world she treasured was more fleeting, that tiny strip that still benefited from the cities while being distinct and apart from them. There were a few such places that she found during her explorations, those times when she snuck out of the gaze of her well meaning parents and explored the world as a mortal instead of an heiress. One of these was a little station along the rail-line out of the Prefecture -- the stopoff for the district, a point of civilization in the otherwise virtually uninhabited area. No one in the Deliberative wanted to build in the area since the Wyldhand disaster, other than her fathers projects of course, and so it got to keep it's flavor. It was part of what she always though of as the real world -- a realm of isolated charm without any of that barbarism or scrabbling for food. It was also convenient for avoiding her parents over-protectiveness, letting her fly the airship into a port "befitting her status" and then just grab the first train to her real destination. The steady snap of engaging essence storage gems overhead kept time for Sky's humming as she got off the train, good foot hitting the board underneath with a thump, crutch following a moment later. Behind her, the train's quiet humm carried through the air as it rested in the station, recharging it's essence gems as it took on and deposited passengers. She started off quickly, her armor in her pack and her sword hidden in Elsewhere -- civilian clothes replacing her artifact finery. The stop had changed little since her last visit here, but she still had to pause to orient herself after so many months away. Her eyes swept over the ramshackle little buildings on stilts as the gentle lake air blew over her, the dragonblood taking a deep whiff of the scents of the lake and forest all around, grinning as she started off. A quick, hobbling course took her through the little station, half run and half hop, until the came upon the building she sought. One of the few houses built near the stop, a square structure nestled in between the distinctive cross shaped terminal buildings. Outside, Category:CotUS Category:Grey Wolf